


Lea, Isa, and the 101 Dalmatians

by Magistra



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Animals, Drama, Fashion & Couture, Fluff, Inspired by 101 Dalmatians, M/M, Silly, Theft, This was so much more fun to write than it should have been
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 08:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19884283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magistra/pseuds/Magistra
Summary: Lea is a fashion photographer in London. Isa is the PA of Xemnas, designer for the fashion house Organization XIII. What do they have in common? They both love their dogs.101 Dalmatians-inspired AU. Yes, you read that right.





	Lea, Isa, and the 101 Dalmatians

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lichtenstrange](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lichtenstrange/gifts).



> For Ana and Kat, because you came up with the cutest AU and I just HAD to play with your idea. Thank you both so much ❤️💙

Lea looked up from his laptop, a satisfied smile on his face. “Alright, we got the shot. And that’s a wrap!” The interns milling around clapped before beginning to take down the bright lights. Lea turned to remove his camera from the tripod, briefly glancing up at the National Gallery, which he had chosen to use as a background. Shooting for fashion brands was often a challenge with his preference for outdoor work, but he had set the newest campaign for fashion house Organization XIII around various London landmarks in the morning, just before sunrise. So far, the pictures had paid off.

As he removed the lens from his camera and packed it away, the model, a tall young woman with short, slicked back blonde hair, strutted over to him. Her makeup was stark, with black and white markings making her face look strange and angular, almost like a fashion illustration that had stepped into the real world. She was still clad in the Organization XIII coat they had been shooting. “Hey, Larxene,” Lea greeted her. “Great work today, but that needs to go back to Xemnas.” He gestured towards the long leather coat. 

Larxene rolled her eyes. “Of course. I just wanted to get a card you before you leave. Marluxia is in town this week. You said you wanted to shoot with him last time, remember? And we need another guy for Wednesday since that influencer pulled out. You know, the anti-leather one? Riku or whatever?”

Lea gasped. “Marluxia’s in town? Oh, yeah. He would be perfect. One sec.” he rummaged in his camera bag, pulling out one of his black and white spotted business cards. He passed it over to Larxene. “Tell him to email me as soon as possible so we can work out the release forms, ok?” 

“Ta,” said Larxene, trying to not laugh at the huge “LEA AXEL FLARE” splashed across the card. _There's no way that's his real name_ , she thought. “By the way, some of us are going to get breakfast over in Soho. There’s a nice 24-hour cafe there, on the other side of the road to She bar. You’re welcome to join.” 

Lea shook his head. “Sorry, I’ve got someone waiting for me at home.” He pulled out his phone to call an Uber. “Maybe next time.”

Five miles away near Holland Park, Isa woke to the sound of his phone ringing. He sat up in bed, clicking the bedside light on and sliding his glasses onto his face. He picked up the phone, groaning when the screen told him that it was 5:30 AM. The call was from a private number, but he knew who it must be from. He pressed answer. “Isa Saïx speaking,” he mumbled. “Xemnas, it’s Saturday.”

“Ah, _Saïx_ ,” Isa’s boss and ex-boyfriend purred down the line. “You’re awake. Fantastic.”

Isa could hear the sound of a treadmill behind Xemnas’s voice. It annoyed him. He reached out and gently rubbed behind the ear of his beloved dalmatian, Xion. “Yes, I’m awake. What do you want?” he asked. 

As Xemnas rattled off a list of menial tasks that ranged from dropping off his dry-cleaning to collecting and sorting several huge boxes of fur samples, Isa put him on speakerphone and pulled Xion closer, pressing his face into her short, sleek fur and trying not to scream. Being Xemnas’s PA was the worst. “And I need it all done before 5 today,” Xemnas finished. “You will get it done. I know you will.”

“Of course,” replied Isa. 

Xemnas hung up, and Isa hauled himself out of bed to his computer. He spent the next half hour looking through the lists of interns currently working at Organization XIII and delegating tasks over the phone. In truth, it only would have taken him a few hours to do the work himself, but Isa refused to give up his days off. Xemnas paid very well, but a day with his baby girl was worth more than the fashion designer could pay. As he read out the address of Xemnas’s dry cleaner to an angry, half-asleep intern, Xion began to pace, whining. She sat down next to him, leaning heavily against his legs, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes. Isa knew that look. He rushed to his cupboard and pulled on his track suit. He attached the leash to her collar and gently kissed the top of her head. He had one more intern to call, but he could do that one on the go. It wasn’t their usual time, but Xion wanted her walkies now.

A few miles away on the North End Road, Lea unlocked the door to his flat and was instantly barrelled over by a large, black and white missile. “Roxas,” he laughed, as a big wet tongue began to wash his face. “Come on, mate. You’re going to break my camera. Let me up.” He pulled himself to his feet and entered the messy flat, dumping his camera and keys on the sofa. His dalmatian bounded around him, zooming between the kitchen, the front door, and Lea, who grabbed him by the collar. The fire-haired man struggled to attach the lead to the wiggling dog, saying between gritted teeth, “You are full of beans today, eh? Guess I’d better take you out before you get too excited and pee in here.”

He left the flat, grabbing a frisbee on the way out. As he walked to West Brompton Station, he looked up. The sunrise tinged the usual grey sheet of clouds that covered London with pink and gold. Lea couldn’t help smiling. He had the feeling it was going to be a good day. 

As usual, Holland Park was full of joggers and other dog walkers. Though it was fairly busy, the park was still clean and fresh. The air was sweet and thick with the smell of pine sap, and the wood chips covering the paths to the green crunched pleasingly underfoot. Lea ran around with Roxas for a while as the sun rose and birds swooped overhead, greeting the sky. Once they reached the green, they played Roxas’s favourite version of frisbee for a while, which involved Lea throwing the frisbee and then chasing Roxas until he managed to wrestle the frisbee from his teeth. Then, Roxas became more interested in sniffing around the ground. Lea knew this behavior all too well. He pulled a plastic bag from his pocket as the dog hunched and squatted. As he stood there waiting, he looked around at the other dogs in the park. A small scotty dog struggled to keep up with a young woman with headphones, a greyhound raced back and forth across the green, and a Dalmatian with a shining coat jogged along next to a handsome man in an expensive-looking tracksuit. 

Wait- another Dal? Lea hadn’t seen this one here before. He waved, trying to catch the owner’s eye, but the blue-haired man jogged right past him. Lea felt his heart sink a little. He loved meeting other Dalmatian owners, and the guy had looked like his type too. “Rude,” he murmured. He turned to check if Roxas was done, just in time to see his dog take off running down the pine-covered path. Aw, shit, Roxas had seen the rude guy’s dalmatian. If he caught up with the other dog, things were likely to get embarrassing. Roxas was gone, but Lea knew the route most joggers took through the park; he sprinted down the path into the trees, towards the Kyoto Garden, calling his dog’s name. 

Up ahead, he could hear the rushing of water from the series of pretty rock pools and tiny waterfalls in the Garden. As he broke out of the trees, he was treated to a wonderful sight: there, surrounded by the serene beauty of the garden, sat Roxas, tail whipping back and forth as the man in the track suit squatted in front of him, stroking him. The man was smiling a gentle, soppy smile at the dog. He clearly loved Dalmatians as much as Lea did. The man’s own dalmatian was lying down, politely watching her master greet Roxas. What a well-trained dog. Lea stopped dead in his tracks, drinking in the sight. He wished he had his camera. 

Then, Roxas and the man looked up at him. Roxas jumped to his feet and bounded over to Lea, who clipped the lead back on and ruffled his ears. As Lea straightened up the other man removed a bluetooth headset and slipped it into his pocket. “You have a lovely dog,” he said. His face was serious, but his words were warm. 

Lea smiled, walking over to the man. “So do you,” he said. “What’s her name?”

“Xion,” the man replied. He glanced at Lea’s face, running a hand through his long, straight hair. He looked a little self-conscious. “Excuse me for being presumptuous, but have we met before?”

Lea was taken aback for a moment. He quickly thought through his last few Grindr hookups. _Couldn’t be one of those,_ he thought. _None of them had blue hair_. Then, something clicked in his mind. “Wait, do you work for Organization XIII?” he asked.

The man nodded. “I do. I’m the designer’s assistant.”

Lea snapped his fingers. “Aha! I’ve got it! I’m Lea Axel Flare, we met for about five minutes when you signed me to photograph your Winter collection. You didn’t have glasses that time, but I remember your hair. You’re… uh…” He racked his brains as the two dogs sniffed at each other. “Isaac?”

The blue-haired man smiled a small smile. “Just Isa,” he corrected him. He reached out to shake Lea’s hand. 

As their hands touched, Roxas barked at Xion, bowing playfully and then jumping at her. Xion reacted with happy surprise, vaulting over him and running around the two men, pulling. Before they knew what was happening, Lea and Isa found themselves tangled in their dogs’ leads, tumbling over the rocky edge into the pond. Lea shouted and grabbed at Isa as they fell. Koi dove out of the way as the men landed in the water with an almighty splash.

Lea instantly sat up, apologising over and over as he unwound the leads from himself. He reached over to help Isa, but Isa pushed him away. His blue hair hung around his face, obscuring it from Lea’s view. Lea gulped. The man was probably angry. “I’m very sorry,” he repeated, standing up. “I’ll stop bothering you, I’m sure you wanna go dry up. Maybe I’ll see you around some other-”

Isa made a strange noise. Lea paused, unsure of what to do. Was he crying? Then, Isa looked up. His face was slightly flushed, and he was smiling. His glasses were askew. As he straightened them and stood up, Lea realised that Isa was chuckling. He began to laugh too, sinking his hands into his pockets and relaxing. “Dogs,” he said. “Am I right?”

Isa nodded, still smiling. “Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” he agreed. 

The two of them helped each other out of the pond, chatting about funny things their dogs had done in the past. Lea took off his shirt and squeezed off the water from it, noticing how Isa’s eyes lingered on his bare skin. Well, that was a good sign. “Hey, do you live near here?” he asked. 

“I do,” said Isa. He looked away at the waterfall, trying to form an inviting sentence in his head.

Lea smiled his most charming smile. “I’ve got a way to go, but I’m too wet to take the tube. Looks like I’m going to have to sit in the sun for a while.” 

He was about to ask Isa if he’d like to get some ice cream and dry up in the park together, when Isa interrupted with a more daring suggestion. “If you would like to dry your clothes, I have a tumble dryer,” he said, still not meeting Lea’s eyes. “The dogs would enjoy spending more time together too.”

“Of course!” said Lea. He grabbed Roxas by the collar as he ran past, chasing Xion. “That would be great, thanks!” _Good boy, Roxas_ , he thought. Today was definitely a good day.


End file.
